Trolley.



No. 638,697. Patented Dec. l2, |899.

G. W. BULSER.

TROLLEY.

(Application filed Dec. 19, 1898.) (N0 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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Patented Dec. l2, |899. G. w. BoLsER. TROLLEY.

v (Application led Dec. 19, 1898.)

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NTTED STATES PATENT Ormes,

GEORGE YV. BOLSER, OF LOCKLAND, OHIO'.' l

TROLLEY.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent`No. 638,697, dated December 12, 1899.

Application led December 19,1898. eerial No. 699,706. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BoLsER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Lockland, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Ball- Bearing Brush-Trolley Grip, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in trolleys for electric railways, which I prefer to term a ballbearing brush-trolley grip; and the prime object in view is to provide an improved construction by which the trolley is made to frictionally engage or grip the conductor and to have free traveling movement thereon, whereby the trolley remains in engagement with the conductor, notwithstanding the vibrations of the car or inequalites in the position of the conductor.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ball-bearing for the trolley-shoe in order to reduce the friction on the parts and to insure freedom in the rotation of the wheels'hoe and to provide a simple and strong insulation between the wheel and the support therefor, thus preventing the bearing from burning ont by the current.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means for clamping a collectingbrush and a motor-conductor secured to the trolley and to thoroughly insulate the parts from the trolley-pole.

A further object is to provide a simple construction ofthe trolley-headinwhichthemembers are normally held or pressed together in proper relation against accidental disengagement from the overhead conductor, and while the parts are thus properly held in position the trolley-head is equipped with means for separating the wheel-shoesa limited distance in order to free them from engagement with the cond uctor and permit the car to be turned or the trolley reversed at the end of a route.

With these endsin view the invention con sists in the novel combination of elements and in the construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

ATo enable others to understand the invention, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings,

forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l isa side elevation of a portion of atrolley,illustratingmyimprovements. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section thereof on the plane indicated by the dotted line 3 3 of Fig. l. Figs. 3 and 4 are Views in side elevation and transverse section, respectively, of one of the wheel-shoes. Figs. 5 and b' are views in transverse section and side elevation of one of the bushings andthe ball-race cup. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of one of the brush insulation-blocks, and Fig. 8 is a det-ail perspective view of one of the collector-brushes. Figs. 9 and l0 are a face View and cross-section, respectively, of one of the ball-race cups.

Like numerals of reference denote like and corresponding parts in each of the several figures of the drawings.

The trolley-pole 10 is similar in all substantial respects to the ordinary trolley-pole familiar to those skilled in the art; but the upper end of this pole receives an angular pivotpost, on which is mounted a trolley-head of my invention. The angular post ll is inserted into the open upper end of the trolleypole, to be fastened securely therein by any suitable means, and said post has an offs-tanding pivotal arin l2, which protrudes beyond the end of the pole to occupy a substantially horizontal position, the free end of the pivotal arm being provided with a key or other fastener 13 to prevent the trolley-head from sliding on the arm l2 and becoming displaced from the trolley-pole.

I provide a novel construction of the trolley-head, which has its members mounted on the arm l2 of the post for a limited oscillating movement or play thereon, and the members of said trolley head carry revoluble wheel-shoes, which are presented for engagement frictionally with the overhead conductor and are adapted to have free traveling movement with relation to saidc'onductor, whereby the wheel-shoes are normally held by the members of the trolley-head in a positionto grip or engage with said overhead conf ductor in order to prevent accidental separation of the trolley-shoes from the conductor,

IOO

but at the same time the wheel shoes are movable with the members of the trolley-head, so that they may be spread or separated laterally for the purpose of disengaging the shoes from the conductor.

The trolley-head consists of the plate-like members 14; 15, each of which is cast in aY single piece of metal and skeletonized to secure lightness with strength, and each member has a pair of parallel cross-bars 1G, which provide for the attachment of the collectorbrush and the insulating-block by which said brush is insulated electrically from the trolley-head, the pivotal post, and the trolleypole. The members 14 l5 of the trolley-head are each, furthermore, provided with a pair of eyes or loops 17, that are fitted loosely on the horizontal pivotal arm 12, and to provide for the attachment of the operating-cables 18 the members have the eyes 19 in their lower diverging ends. The eyes or clips 17 of said members of the trolley head are arranged closely together and are iitted loosely on the arm 12 of the post, and said clips 17 have slots or notches 2O formed therein for the reception of the stop-ribs 2l on the arm 12 of the post. Each member of the trolley-head is capable of a limited oscillating or rocking movement on the pivotal post; but the lateral movement of said members relatively to each other is limited or arrested in a positive manner by the ribs 21 of the post engaging with the abrupt ends of the notches or slots 2O in the clips 17 of the members 14 15. The limited lateral movement of the trolley-head members on the pivotal post is for the purpose of separating the wheel-slices sufliciently for disengaging the same from the conductor, but normally the members 14 15 are pressed toward each other, so that the wheel-shoes will have f rictional engagement with the overhead conductor, and thereby prevent accidental separation of the trolley from said conductor, the engagement of the trolley with the conductor being, in eifect, a gripping between the parts, but at the same time the shoes revolve freely on the conductor, to the end that the trolley may travel readily thereon with a minimum of friction and wear between the parts. rlhe pivoted or rocking members of the trolley-head are normally drawn together at their upper ends and spread or separated at their lower ends by means of a tension-spring 22, the preferred embodiment of which is more clearly represented by Fig. 2 of the drawings. This spring is of the coiled variety and is fitted loosely on v the arm 12 of the post between the points where the clips or eyes 17 of the head members are fitted on said post, thereby confining the spring against accidental displacement. The ends of the spring are bent to form the arms 23 21, which are carried or extended in reversely-inclined directions, so as to lie in planes which intersect one with the other, and the ends of the spring-arms are secured firmly to the respective members of the hanger by means of the bolts 25. The tension-spring is thus arranged compactly with relation to the trolley-head, and by crossing the arms thereof the spring is placed under tension and oers sufficient resistance to the lateral separation of the head members and the wheel-shoes journaled thereon. The lower ends of the head members are arranged in divergent positions to the upper ends of the head members, and the spring serves to normally hold the members 14 15 in inclined positions above the pivotal post, substantially as shown by Fig. 2.

To provide for the proper support of the wheel-shoes and to securely connect the Wheelshoes to the members of the trolley-head, I employ the stub-axles 26 27, one of which is fixed to the head member 14 and the other is attached to the member 15. project in opposite directions from the upper ends of the head members 14 15, and said axles are normally arranged in oblique positions to a vertical line which intersects the axis of the pivotal arm l2. This oblique disposition of the stubaxles is an important feature of my invention, because the axles sustain the wheeled shoes in positions to properly engage with the overhead conductor and at the same time enable the wheel-shoes to rotate freely on their axes. The stub-axles are eX- ternally threaded for the reception of the adjustable bearing-cones, which form parts of the ball-bearings by which the wheel-shoes are revolubly mounted on the stub-axles of the trolley-head. The wheel-shoes 28 29 are fitted on the axles 2G 27, respectively, and are supported thereby in inclined relation one to the other for said shoes to embrace and ride against opposite faces of the overhead conductor 30. Each wheel-shoe is provided on its inner face with an annular groove 31, which is arc-shaped in cross-section to conform to the cylindrical cross-sectional contour of the conductor 30, and each wheel-shoe is thus adapted to partially embrace the conductor, whereby the conductor is confined between the laterally-disposed revoluble wheelshoes, and the trolley has an intimate gripping frictional contact with the conductor to overcome accidental disconnection of the trolley and the conductor, notwithstanding the vertical vibration of the trolley-pole, and compensating for inequalities in the height of the overhead conductor from the track or the car. Each wheel-shoe is provided with a ball-bearing of novel construction, which insures free rotation to the wheel, reduces the friction and wear to a minimum, and is constructed to insulate the wheel from electrical contact with the trolley-head. The wheel-shoe has atrans- Verse central opening 32 of comparatively large diameter, and in this opening is tted a two-part bushing which is made of compressed insulating lber. The members 33 34C of the insulating-bushing are fitted from op- The stub-axles- IOO IIO

posite sides of the wheel into the central opening 32 thereof, and said members of the bushing have interlocking engagement with the wheel for the purpose of preventing turning of the bushing within the wheel and to firmly connect the parts together. The interlocking of the bushing with the wheel is effected by providing radial grooves 35 in the circumference of the bushing to receive the keys 36, which are integral with the metallic wheel, and these interlocking devices between the wheel and thebushing retain the latter against rotation within the wheel, but at the same time permit the members of the bushing to be withdrawn by an endwise movement from the opening 32 of the wheel. The inner adjacent ends of the two members of each bushing provided for one of the wheels are closed by heads 33, and said members of the bushing receive the metallic ball-cu ps 37 37, which are fltted within the bushing members to engage with the heads thereof. The metallic ball-cups have interlocking engagement with the bushing mem bers by the provision of grooves 38a in the cups and keys 39a within the bushing members, and it will thus be seen that the insulated bushing members are fast with the metallic wheel and the metallic ballcups have interlocking engagement with said bushing members, whereby the bushing and the ball-cups are adapted to rotate with the metallic wheel and the bushing insulates the wheel electrically from the stub-axles and the metallic trolley-head. The ball-cones 40 are secured in pairs on each threaded stubaXle in positions to face the metallic ball-cu ps 37, and between the two pairs of cones and cups are interposed the two series of bearingballs 41 42. These bearing-balls are confined between the cones and cups to hold the wheel against lateral play on the stub-axle, and the wheel, together with the parts which interlock therewith, is free to rotate with a minimum of friction on the bearing-balls and the cones. An insulating-washer 40n is fitted on the stub-axle between the ball-cone and the upper end of one member of the trolley-head, and the outer end of the stub-axle receives a clamping-nut and washer, as clearly shown by Fig. 2, to confine the revoluble wheel against lateral movement on the stub-axle.

With each of the revoluble wheel-shoes which has intimate facial contact with the conductor is associated a collector-brush 43, which is mounted on and insulated from the member of the trolley-head on which the wheel isjournaled, and this collector-brush is arranged to have intimate frictional contact with the grooved face 31 of the revoluble wheel-shoe for the purpose of collecting the current from the wheel-shoe and transmitting it to a conductor which leads to or from the motor on the car. The collector-brush 43 is a laminated structure composed of a series of superposed thin strips or plates of copper or other suitable metal, and the laminated brush has a bent working end 44 arranged to ride against and curved to conform to the grooved face 31 of the collector-wheel. The brush has its shank pressed or stamped to form a longitudinal rib or tongue 45, and this ribbed end of the brush-shank is applied laterally to the grooved face 46 of an insulatingblock 47. The insulating-block is adjusted to bear against the cross-bar 16 of the skeleton member of the .trolley-head, and this block is held rmly in place by means of bolts 48, which pass through the ends of the block and the cross-bars of the trolley-head. Thei-nsulating-block is, furthermore, provided with a longitudinal slot 49 in the depressed or grooved portion 46 thereof, and the brush is clamped adj ustably to the slotted insulatingblock by means of a bolt 50, whereby the brush has interlocking and adjustable engagement with the block for the purpose of holding the brush in position, adjusting the brush to compensate for Wear on the bent end 44 thereof, and the brush is insulated electrically from contact with the metallic trolley-head. The conductor 5l, which leads to the motor on the car, has an eye 52, which is fitted around the bolt 50 and in electrical contact with the collector -brush, and this eye-formed end of the conductor is confined in place by a clamp 53, which is adjusted on the bolt 50 and is held in place by a nut 54, screwed on the bolt.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, it will be observed that I have provided a trolley-head in which revoluble shoes are arranged to grip an overhead conductor on opposite faces thereof and to have intimate contact with the same for the purpose of collecting a current of electrical energy from said conductor, and with these revoluble shoes are associated brushes, which collect the current from the shoes and transmit the same to or from the conductor which leads to the car-motor, whereby metallic contact is insured between the overhead conductor and the motor-conductor. The shoes and collector-brushes are insulated ,from metallic contact with the trolley-head and the pole, and the shoes are supported by ball-bearings, which insure freedom in the rotation of the shoes, and which ball-bearings are insulated electrically from the stub-axles. The ballbearings have metallic contact with the stubaxle and the trolley-head in Order to be supported on the pole, thus insuring accuracy IOO IIO

and freedom in the rotation of the wheel, substantially as shown by Fig. 2. The wheelshoes of the trolley engage With the overhead conductor in a manner to prevent accidental separation of the trolley from the conductor; but the cable 18 may be operated to draw t-he lower ends of the trolley-head members together, and thereby rock the members 14 15 against the tension of the spring 22. The members 14 15 are thus spread laterally for a limited distance, and as the wheel-shoes are mounted on said members they are separated a sufficient distance to disconnect the grooved 4 rselaee'ii faces of the shoes from the conductor, whereby the trolley will be disconnected from the conductor to permit reversal of the trolleypole.

Changes may be made in the form and proportion of some of the parts, while their essential features are retained and the spirit of the invention embodied. Hence I do not desire to be limited to the precise form of all the parts as shown, reserving the right to vary therefrom.

Although I have shown and described my improved construction as especially adapted for service in connection with overhead trolleys and conductors, I would have it understood that the construction may be used or embodied vin a trolley for underground conductors.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim isl. In a trolley for electric railways, the combination of an angular pivotal post having one arm attached to a trolley-pole, a sectional trolley-head having its members mounted on the other arm of said pivotal post, a spring coiled on the post and attached at its respective ends to the members of the trolley-head, and shoes mounted on the members of the trolley-head in position to grip an intermediate conductor, substantially as described.

2. In a trolley for electric railways, the combination of a pivotal post havinga projecting stop-pin, a sectional trolley-head having its companion members recessed to tit together and mounted loosely on the post in engagement with the stop-pin thereof,a spring coiled on the post within the sections of said head, and having its ends engaging with said sections, revoluble shoes carried by the trolleyhead, and collector-brushes mounted on the sections of the head and engaging with the shoes carried thereby, substantially as described.

3. In a trolley for electric railways, the combination with a pivotal post, of a trolley-head having its companion members fitted loosely on said post and provided with the inclined lower ends which diverge below said post, a spring connecting the members of said head at a point above the post, an operating-cable attached to the diverging ends of the head members, and-contact-shoes carried by the members of said trolley-head in positions to laterally grip an intermediate conductor, substantially as described.

4. In a trolley for electric railways, the combination of a jointed trolley-head,wheel-shoes revolubly mounted on and insulated from electrical contact with said head and arranged to laterally grip an intermediate conductor, collector-brushes supported by, andinsulated from, the members of said head and engaging separately with the wheel-shoes, and cond uctors clamped to said collector-brushes, substantially as described.

5. In a trolley for electric railways, the combination of a sectional trolley-head provided with stub-axles on its respective members, inclined wheel-shoes provided with the insulated bushings and fitted revolubly on the stub-axles,and independent collector-brushes attached to, and insulated from, the sections of the Itrolley-head and arranged to have frictional contactV with said wheel-shoes, said brushes and shoes being adjustable with the sections of the trolley-head on the lateral separation thereof, substantially as described.

6. In a trolley for electric railways, the reversely-inclined wheel-shoes provided in their opposing faces with the grooves, each curved in cross-section and conforming accurately to the contour of a conductor adapted to be tted in said shoes, the opposing faces of the shoes being separated by an intervening space, in combination with a sectional trolleyhead provided with inclined axles arranged in the same vertical plane and supporting the wheel-shoes directly opposite to each other, and the spring connecting the members of said trolley-head, whereby the wheel-shoes are pressed inwardly into engagement with opposite sides of a conductor, substantially as described.

7. In a trolley for electric railways, a wheelshoe provided with independent insulated bushings which meet each other and are keyed in position within said shoe, and the independent ball-cups keyed within the respective bushings, in combination with an axle passing through said bushings and cups, the cones on the axles and tted in the cups, and bearing-balls engaging with the cups and cones, substantially as described.

S. In a trolley for electric railways, the combination with a pivotal post, of a sectional spring-controlled trolley-head loosely fitted at a point intermediate of its length and having the divergent lower ends, wheel-shoes revolubly mounted on the members of the trolleyhead and movable laterally therewith, and an operating device connected with the divergent ends of the trolley-head to eect the lateral separation of its members and the wheelshoes, substantially as described.

9. In a trolley for electric railways, a Wheel provided with an insulated bushing, an axle passing through said bushing, ball-cups fast with the bushing, and cones fast with the axle and arranged opposite to the cups to confine a series of bearing-balls therein, substantially as described.

lO. In a trolley for electric. railways, a collector-wheel provided with a two-part bushing which has interlocking engagement with said wheel, the ball-cups fast with the bushing and insulated thereby from electrical contact with the wheel, an axle passing through the bushing and the ball-cups, and cones fast with the axle and arranged to face the ballcups to conne therein the series of bearingballs, substantially as described.

ll. In a trolley for electric railways, the combination with a head and a collector-wheel shoe, of an insulating-block fast with the trol- IOO ley-head, and :t collector-brush having intera clamp which confines the brush adjustably locking engagement with and clamped to said l on the block and serves to hold a conductor insulated block, said brush having friotional in electrical Contact with the brush, substaneontaet with the Wheel-shoe, substantially as tially as described. described. l l2. In a trolley for electric railways, the l combination with a trolley-head and a Wheell shoe mounted thereon,of a grooved and slotted l insulating-block fast with the trolley-head, a Witnesses: ribbed collector-brush fitted to said block and VALTER P. DOLLE, having frietional Contact with said Wheel, and i GEORGE E. MILLS.

my own I have hereto affixed my signa-ture in the presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE W. BOLSER.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 

